It shouldn't matter if a film adaptation of a book fails to follow its source material to the letter – providing, of course, that it delivers a strong enough tale. Even if you haven't read Alice Sebold's novel, with its longer timescale and darker details, it's hard not to feel some important elements are skimmed over or even omitted in Peter Jackson's film version. It's narrated by a murdered young girl, Susie Salmon (Saoirse Ronan), as she flits between limbo and the real world, helplessly watching her grieving family and her uncaught killer, George Harvey (a terrifyingly mundane Stanley Tucci), who is now targeting her sister. Perhaps for reasons of taste, the murder is not dwelt upon but this diminishes the impact of what follows; it even seems Susie is better off dead in her fantasy afterlife and that can't be right, can it? Jackson is on fine form technically and makes some great choices of cast and crew – Brian Eno's score adopts some of his 1970s music seamlessly, showing how ahead of the game he was. At home it might even prove to be better received than it was theatrically, especially as it comes with Jackson's usual terrific extras. Rather than breaking things down into sections, Jackson presents a visual chronological diary of the entire shoot, clocking in at around three hours. It's extensive, informative and accessible, an incredibly open look at the movie-making process that turns this into a rather more essential purchase.